Orion
by TheRedStrawberriesBest
Summary: Amu is a lonely girl who lives by herself. On a starry night, she makes a wish to always have somebody by her side. When her wish comes true, she will be surprised to find a blue haired boy in her bed the next morning. This is her shooting star. He will be with her until her wish is fulfilled. But what if that takes forever? AMUTO
1. Make a Wish

**Sierra: Yay~! Yet another new story by TheRedStrawberriesBest! Aren't you guys excited? Lolz, I am! Because I just am! I'm weird aren't I? Okay, welcome to my new story...Orion! I'm guessing nobody know's what that means so allow me to explain. Orion means 'Hunter-Constellation' Everybody knows what a constellation is, right? Well Orion is the name of a fighter that is said to have been seen with a shield, but is also a star. So, that's when this crazy idea popped into my head. ENJOY! **

**Also, this story is probably the most AMUTO filled story you will ever read. Okay, that's exaggerating but still! There will be too many amuto moments to even count! So be prepared! NOTE: Amu~(16)(as in years of age)**

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**Orion**

**CHAPTER 1**

_**~+*Make a Wish*+~ **_

**By _TheRedStrawberriesBest_**

_***~iWish~ ***_

_~AMU~ _

It was night-time already. I hated how time always flew by so fast. Especially during the summer. When everybody was out doing things and having fun, I was alone in my room the entire day most of the time. But, even if I were to leave my room, there still wouldn't be anybody else home. That's because...

It's because my parents weren't there. They just weren't there anymore. They used to be there though. They _were_ there for me. It would have been fun, if they were still here...Mama would have had a baby girl and she would be my sister. We would have all had fun too. If it wasn't for that snowy day. They would still...

I forced my mind to think of other topics aside from the depressing stuff.

I walked over to my big balcony window and peered outside at all the stars in the clear night sky. Some twinkled more than others, and there were too many to possibly count. I loved nights like this though. They were truly amazing and beautiful. I unlocked the window and stepped outside into the warm night air. I was instantly bathed in the moonlight and shine of the stars. The only pro of not having anybody around was that you could wear whatever you wanted at you wouldn't get yelled at.

I took hold of that advantage and wore what I wanted. Which was actually a lot less than I should have been. I wore a light pink tank top with a built-in bra. Then to match, I wore light pink laced underwear with a small bow on the right side. And that's it. Like I said, I took care of the once in a lifetime advantage and wore as little as possible.

Although there was a small anklet around my ankle that I always wore. It was my moms.

I walked over to the ledge on the balcony and crossed my arms over it. I leaned into it and gazed up at the sky. For some reason it was always at times like this that I started daydreaming. I always daydreamed about having someone there for me. Even though I knew it wasn't going to happen. I couldn't just magically wish for someone to appear and always be there for me. But I wanted to.

I wanted a person to appear before me and tell me everything would be okay, everything would be all right. I wanted them to tell me not to worry. No matter who it was, if it was just somebody I didn't care. Although secretly I knew what I really wanted. Maybe I was just too afraid to admit it.

If I could wish upon the biggest star I would. But there were too many stars that I didn't think there was a way to find the biggest star. A shooting star only came around once in a lifetime so it was useless waiting for one of those. Only a fool would do that. Maybe one came around every so often though.

The sweet midnight breeze decided to bestow itself upon me. It felt nice. It always seemed like a mystery on where all those stars came from. They couldn't have just magically appeared out of nowhere. That would be ridiculous.

Starlight.

Star bright.

That's what my mom taught me. To make a wish on the first star you see tonight.

You wish you may.

You wish you might.

Take this wish you wish tonight.

How stupid. Wishes didn't come true. That's only something everybody wanted you to believe. Just like if you were to go to a mall and there would be a fountain with a bunch of change in it. All that change is people's wasted money. Their hopeless dreams. Their hopeless wishes. They only did that to get your money. Nobodies wish ever came true. Unless it was something as simple as falling in love.

I sighed and put my head in my hands.

Falling in love huh? That didn't sound to fun. At least it was someone who was there though. If you fell in love, that would mean someone would be there for you. But falling in love was scary. What if something happened to the person you fell in love with? I didn't want to end up like my mom...

I don't know what caused me to gently fold my hands and entwine my fingers together. I closed my eyes and brought my hands up over my mouth. It was useless, but at least worth the try.

"Please..." I whispered softly. "If there is someone out there, anyone, please come to me. Please come tell me it will be okay. Tell me you'll always be there for me. I want someone to always be there for me."

Nothing happened after that, and I didn't expect anything to. I brought my hands down back to my sides and opened my eyes. It was useless. Wishes don't actually work. They never will. A tear slid down my cheek and fell to the balcony. No. I wouldn't allow myself to cry. I wiped my eyes and went back to my room. Before I did so, I could have sworn I saw a twinkle in the sky, like a star was twisting. But then again it was probably just my imagination.

I wrapped myself in the comfort of the warm blankets. My soft pillow added cushion to my head. Pink hair strung out everywhere. I was dead tired and wanted nothing but sleep. My dark room welcomed me to sweet dreams that night. Because nobody else would.

_**~*iWish*~** _

_Chirp...chirp...chirp..._It was the singing of the birds that finally woke me up. For some reason I felt abnormally warm. It felt nice, and I wanted to stay in my curled up position for the rest of the day. But I knew fate would not simply allow that. Slowly I opened my eyes to see the sight of my pink door on the other wall.

I groaned and turned the other way, closing my eyes again. There was a soft breathing sound, which I thought was my own. It's when I actually heard my own against the others that made me wonder. The breath breathed on my bare chest, softly and lightly. My eyes opened again.

Then I saw a boy, sleeping so close, right next to me. My eyes widened and I shot up.

What...?

I looked at the boy. He looked about my age. He had shiny dark blue hair. His long eyelashes complimented his soft looking cheeks. His full pink lips were slightly parted. The boys chest moved up and down with every breath he took. His hands were up by his head, sleeping like I had. He looked...innocent. His clothes were all black too. He was cute but...

What was he doing in my bed?

I panicked silently, not actually wanting to wake the sleeping boy. How did he get in? More or less, I needed to get him out of my bed and out of my house. How was I supposed to do that?

A sudden urge to go splash a little water in my face took control of my body. Quietly I opened and closed my door, heading to the bathroom. The water was cold, and I stared into the mirror with that same expression I always seemed to have. I splashed the water in my face, hoping to wake myself up a bit. I didn't want to really panic over this. In fact, I didn't want to show any emotion at all but I had to. It was so weird.

I wiped my face dry and opened the door to leave.

When I entered my room again I was surprised to see that the boy wasn't there. My eyes widened. Where did he go?

"That outfit's pretty interesting," said a deep voice behind me.

I whipped around to see the boy who had been lying in my bed. He stood with his arms crossed and back against the wall. His expression showed he really _did _find an interest in what I was wearing. His eyes studied my body like I was some type of weird animal he had just come across.

I blushed.

"Who are you?" I asked calmly, but mentally panicked on the inside.

When his eyes stopped groping me, he looked straight into mine. It's almost as if he captured my eyes with his. Midnight blue was what I wanted to say, but there was also a hint of purple in them. He tilted his head a bit and leaned against the wall even more.

"I am you're shooting star," he said.

Shooting star? Because that made sense. The whole picture of last night's star-gazing peered into my mind. There weren't any shooting stars last night. It was a question on whether this guy was seriously some lunatic weirdo, or if there was something I didn't know. I did make a wish last night upon the stars, maybe that's what he meant. But, I highly doubt it.

"What do you mean? You're not a shooting star," I said, glaring at him. "I don't know what you are, but I want you out of my home. I have no clue how you even got in, but get out. Now."

He didn't move an inch. All he did was stare at me and say "I can't leave. You wished for someone to always be there for you. I am you're wish."

"Quit playing with me! Were you stalking me last night? Cree-!" Suddenly he came off the wall and grabbed both of my wrists. He twirled me around and pinned me against the wall his back was previously. My eyes widened and I stared up into his.

He had a serious look on his face, which worried me. Was this guy for real?

"It might be hard to explain, but allow me," he said calmly. "When you made a wish last night, you wished really hard. You might not have known it, but it's true. Deep in your heart there was a wish waiting to be expressed, and that's where I came from. Upon the first star you saw last night. Realizing that fact you couldn't have seen the very first star, you looked at me. I am a star. I am the star that was born from your wish. You're wish was for someone to always be there for you, right? I have to obey you're wish. Therefore I will always be here for you."

"You are...a star?" I asked. He nodded. "The star that appeared from...my wish?" He nodded again.

"But, if you're a star then how come you're a human?"

"When people wish upon stars, much like you did, we fall from the sky. At that point we're still stars, but when we hit the earth we turn into humans."

Processing that wasn't exactly the easiest thing. I didn't want to actually believe this guy, but it seemed like the only thing to do. It was the only explanation.

"Do you believe me now? I cannot leave until you're wish is fulfilled. After that, I will simply return to my former self as a star, and wait for the next wish."

"Does that mean you will live forever?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. Even stars die eventually."

I looked away from his alluring gaze. A shooting star...? My wish?

"Does that mean if other people make wishes, they will get a shooting star like you too?"

He shrugged. "It depends on how hard they wish. If their heart yearns for it that much, one of us will fall and become their wish."

My heart...My heart really yearns for my wish? My wish was for someone to always be there for me. I guess I wished really hard, but still. It was...too much to process. Even though it might have seemed like I got everything. I pretended like it was as shocking as it really was. I closed my eyes and thought about the upcoming events this would cause. I don't know if I should be happy, or surprised, or sad, or anything. What should I do?

His hands let my wrists go. I opened my eyes again. "What's your name?"

"Ikuto."

_Ikuto..._

"You should..." he began,, looking away from me and shoving his hands in his pockets. "Change."

Change? I looked down at myself at realized what I was wearing. Same outfit as last night...No pants, and just a tank top. I wanted to blush and scream at him, but this is what was comfortable. I didn't want to change. I looked away from him.

"Make me! If you think you can suddenly appear in my life and start telling me what to do, you've got another thing coming to you mister! If you don't like it then leave," I said, annoyed. I actually felt like dropping to my knees and bawling my eyes out, but resisted the urge.

Instead I left the room, without saying another word. Not even bothering to hear what he had to say. Angered...not really. Upset...I don't think so. Confused...definitely. I don't get all this and I don't want to.

I want that, star or whatever away from here. Whoever he his. Just because nobody's here, and nobody will be here, doesn't give that thing a free ticket to stay. Plus, I'm...

Afraid. My wish came true. It's weird. I should be happy but I'm afraid. Will he really always be there for me? That's scary.

I lightly walked over to my fridge, my feet not making a single sound. My mom always used to tell me to have marshmallow feet in the mornings. Really she just wanted me to stay silent so nobody woke up. That stuck with me I guess. It's hard getting rid of habits. It's hard...forgetting.

That's right.

I opened the fridge and grabbed a cold bottle of water. It was refreshing, and the way the water poured down my throat made me want to think more.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so mean...Especially if everything Ikuto said was true. If he really is a star, then he can't help that. He's simply doing his job. His job is fulfilling my wish. It's not like I didn't wish for someone to be there for me. It's that I never imagined that someone being a shooting star. Let alone an attractive shooting star.

Oh, what was I thinking? Did I really think he was cute? No. Yes. God.

I needed to figure all of this out. But somehow it seemed harder to do alone. It wouldn't hurt to ask him for help. It wouldn't be the end of the world.

I took the water bottle away from my lips. I sighed and closed my eyes. So, maybe it was decided. We could probably figure this out together. With his help, maybe, just maybe, I'll be all right. The slightest change in temperature in my room caused goosebumps to appear all over my body. And maybe Ikuto was right about another thing too. I should most likely change. But I'll do that later. Now, I'll go apologize and talk to him about all of this.

I slowly walked back up the stairs, taking the water with me. For some reason water helped me think more. Or at least think rationally.

When I entered my room again, Ikuto was sitting on my bed with his legs crossed. He was looking around, studying my room. That's what I thought he was doing anyways. He seemed to be completely unaware I just came back. Or he didn't want to be aware. Silently I closed the door and stood there for a second.

"I'm sorry," I blurted, shutting my eyes tightly. I sighed and before I got too afraid continued on with my sentence. "I didn't mean to sound mean or make you mad. It was just...surprising I guess. I didn't think something like this would ever happen. To me no less." I opened my eyes and waited for his reply. The good news was he stopped looking around my room. The bad news is he looked at me with a complete blank expression. I didn't actually know if that was good or bad.

"It doesn't matter what you say," he said in a solemn tone. "Because no matter what I can't leave until you're wish is fulfilled. I won't leave you."

My eyes widened. Something about that sentence..._I won't leave you. _It sent sparks through my body. Definitely a shock. Something new. Something...I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear that sentence. In fact I wanted to tell him to say it again but resisted. I like it. I wanted someone to never leave me. Can't those words please be true?

Suddenly a whole different feeling shot through my body. I had never felt it before, and was beginning to wonder what it was. It was a sweet feeling, like candy. It was a smooth feeling, like silk. It was a soft feeling, like fur. It felt nice as if I could wrap myself in it and be perfectly content. I couldn't help but think that sentence triggered it. This feeling...I liked it. I wanted to feel it over and over again. I wanted to feel it more.

Something about this new situation would most likely change everything. Everything had to change now. Everything had to get better. It just had to. It couldn't get worse. How could this go bad? It was just a shooting star telling me he's going to grant my wish. No big deal. I felt like smacking my forehead. This was a big deal. The biggest deal I'll most likely ever get.

My hand moved on its own, because I wasn't moving it. It reached out. Reached out to _him. _It longed to be touched by him. _I _longed to be touched by someone. Anyone.

Him.

I felt like crying but I knew my words had to come out. I had to do this. This had to happen. Because from now on, things could only get better.

"Then," I began, looking into his alluring gaze. "Don't leave me."

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**Sierra: Yey~! Done with chappie one of ma new shtoreh! How awful was it? Come on don't lie I know it was terrible. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Hopefully it turned out better than I imagined. If it seems like Amu is going along with everything so easily it's because she is. You'll most likely find out why in the next couple of chapters. c:**

**X3 Tell me what you think! First 10 reviewers get their wishes granted by Ikuto! XD**

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	2. Sweet Friend's Wish

**Sierra: Yey~! Another chappie!**

**Ikuto: And you're happy because...?**

**Amu: I think I know why she's happy...**

**Ikuto: And why would that be?**

**Sierra: Because it has AMUTO in it! Duh!**

**Ikuto: ...I love you! **

**Sierra: I know :) **

**Amu: I hate you all...Only in Sierra's dreams does she own us. **

**Sierra: Also, just a little side note, I decided to change the POV to omniscient instead of first person. I think it works better that way. I might fix chapter one later, but not now c:**

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**Orion**

**CHAPTER 2**

_**~*Sweet Friend's Wish*~ **_

_**~*iWish~***_

She closed her eyes, then breathed out as the boy looped the necklace around her neck. When the clasp was closed, the small blue star fell into her shirt, resting between her breasts. He stepped away and her eyes opened.

"What is this for?" she asked, holding up the star.

"It's sort of like a mark. It resembles that I am you're wish," he explained. She continued examining the dark blue star until finally dropping it back in her shirt.

"Why do I need it?"

He sighed heavily then looked back at her. "You'll understand later."

Her brows furrowed at this. "But I don't want to understand later. I want to understand now," she protested. He seemingly sent a glare in her direction and she backed off a bit. Her eyes shifted, then raced the floor in search of something else to look at besides him.

Her mouth opened and closed several times before something came out. "I'm going to get something to eat."

Amu walked out of her own room, and down the stairs. Luckily she had finally changed into something else. Although it wasn't necessarily any better than her night outfit. A pink mini skirt with ruffles followed by a black tank top completed her simple outfit. Her hand lightly brushed against the wooden railing, her feet swiftly moving down from step to step. The words she had said earlier played like a broken record in her head. She couldn't seem to erase the fact she had told him in her mind triggered those words as if they weren't even her own.

_"Don't leave me," _she had said. She wasn't exactly sure if she regretted it or not.

The chill of the moment came rushing back to her. Water would definitely help. Maybe a small sandwich too. Although when she opened the fridge, she was greeted by merely a couple items consisting of cheese, ham, milk, and moldy grapes. Come to think of it, she hadn't been to the store in quite some time. Her stomach growled at the sight of no food. There weren't even any water bottles left.

Amu slammed the fridge door shut and slammed her back against it. It wasn't the fridge's fault, but she felt a weird urge to kick it and scream at it. Looked like she was going to the store today. Her cabinets were sure to hold something though. Amu walked over to her counter and leaned over it, reaching the height to open the first cabinet. There was a small tub of peanut butter. She opened the next one. A bag of Milano cookies. Finally the last cabinet. She hoped there would be more food there, but not all wishes came true.

She sighed heavily and sank to the floor. Amu's honey golden eyes stared listlessly at the still dining room table. On it was a green and white table cloth, accenting the candles that hadn't been lit in years. Large white plates were placed across and beside each other. If you had gone up to them and touched them, they would be dusty. The chairs were all perfectly aligned with one another. If you were to move one it would surely creak for the fact they hadn't been moved or used in forever.

Amu made no effort to get up. If she could just sit like that forever it would be great. With the little money she had left, food was going to be a problem. Then it hit her: a job. If she got a job she could pay for the house and food and whatever else she needed. Although finding a job was going to be hard. She wasn't skilled in many things. For now, she would just go to the store (even though she didn't want to) and buy food.

Slowly pulling herself up by the counters, Amu found no motivation whatsoever. Which made it even harder to move.

She couldn't think clearly with that star around. She figured that was the problem. Or rather-_he _was the problem. She had thought it over so many times but it didn't seem that he was ever going to leave. Not if she begged, or pleaded, no matter how persistent she was about it, he wasn't leaving. Because he was her 'wish'.

What she _wished _was for him to leave. Even though previously she had told him to never leave.

Actually, Amu didn't know what she wanted. Although right now she had a pretty good idea it was food.

She made her journey back upstairs. The stairs creaked with every step she took. The railing to support her was beginning to chip its white paint as she noted. The house would probably fall apart before she had time to pay for it. Her money would be in the pink bejeweled box hidden under her bed. So that was where she headed.

But opening the door to her room brought a sight she wasn't expecting to see. Ikuto-sitting on her bed with his legs crossed. She almost sighed at the scene. Closing the door behind her, she abruptly walked to the middle of the room and stared at him.

"I need you to move," she said, almost as faintly as a whisper.

Ikuto looked up at her. "Why?"

"Does it matter? It's _my _bed. _You _don't belong on it." She took another step forward then stopped when he spoke.

"I'd just like to know," he said, showing no sign of anger or frustration. He was being very calm about it, which angered Amu a little.

Sighing she calmed herself then tried speaking again. "I just need something." She took the extra steps so that her knees were faintly touching the bed's puffy blanket. As she looked down at Ikuto the blue star fell from inside her shirt again. Ikuto's eyes moved from hers to staring at the necklace.

For some unknown reason, Amu almost blushed. "What?"

"It looks good on you," Ikuto said, smiling. That was the first time Amu had seen him smile. It was kind of cute-almost as if his smile was pulling her into him. She reached out on her body's accord. Reaching for him like she had done earlier.

As soon as she realized what she was doing, Amu stopped. "I-uhh..." She looked away in search of an answer or something to say. Finding that wasn't working, she reached her hand all the way until it met his shoulder. She stared at his eyes for the briefest moment before pushing him backwards. His head almost hit the wall and she felt a little bad after that. "Please move."

Ikuto stifled a sigh then got up off her bed, walking over to her balcony doors. Finding that the best time to get the money, Amu bent down and lifted up the heavy mattress. As she peered underneath she saw a flash of something shiny and pink. The box. It was coated with several different pink gemstones aligned with green and white ones. It had a full body and a small lid that didn't overlap the rest. The box rested in between a bar that held the bed in place. As the mattress rose above it, the box tilted, almost falling through the metal bars to the hard wood floor.

Amu reached for it, grabbed it, and pulled it out. The lid shifted and slid in the wide space. It wasn't feather light, but it wasn't heavy. Removing the lid revealed a small stack of money that had been folded on top of itself. Amu felt almost a heated warmth flow through her hands as she held the box. Her mother had made it for her. When she was still obsessed with girly things and cute things, her mother designed a small box to keep anything she wanted.

It used to contain the small keys to her diary. But when she died, Amu's diary went with her mother. She wanted her to have it, even though she couldn't read it. Everything she never got to say to her mother, the woman she was so close to, was in that diary. And now it was resting peacefully along with Midori.

Refusing to think beyond that, Amu took out the stash of money and replaced the lid. Instead of the box returning to its original place under the bed it was placed on the small desk next to it. There was nothing to hide anymore. It could be seen and its beauty could be presented.

Amu stood from her crouched position and walked to her closet which held a small purse with a long strap and sandals.

The whole time she wasn't sure if Ikuto looked back or not. If he did, he made no attempt to show it.

The closet opened with a _whoosh _and two items were removed from it. The two doors then closed with a _thump. _

After all this time it seemed Amu still couldn't get over being alone. Maybe it had gotten better, but not perfect. It would most likely never be perfect.

She sat on her bed heavily and began to strap on her sandals. From Ikuto looking out the balcony, the sun of morning light shone in. It would definitely be warm. Perfect to take a walk to the super market and walk back. At least there was that good possibility. Being as she didn't go out much at all.

The money was slipped in the small purse and then looped around her shoulder. She stood then walked toward the door.

It wasn't surprising Ikuto asked where she was going the next moment, because she looked as if she was going out on a date. "Where are you going?"

Amu stood before the door, ready to just reach for the handle and bolt out of there. She gulped. "To the super market," she said calmly.

"Why?" Was there a question for everything she did? Could she not go to the store in peace?

"Because I need to get some stuff."

"I'm coming too," Ikuto said, already walking towards Amu. That was the last thing she needed, her shooting star going with her on a shopping trip to buy food.

"You don't need to come," she said, inching closer to the door. "I'll be right back."

"I don't care I'm going." How persistent he was!

"Look, I don't think it's a good idea to have a shooting star go buy groceries. I'll be fine, I don't want you to come," she said, holding a hand out like a stop sign.

"_You_ look_, _It's _because_ I'm your shooting star that I have to go." Ikuto took a hold of her wrist and moved it out of the way. Amu struggled against his grip.

"No...Ikuto." She unexpectedly backed herself into the door and Ikuto seemed to tower over her. "You're not going."

"If I'm not going then you're not either," he said, almost glaring at her.

"What? You can't tell me what to do! I'm going now let go." She tried pulling her wrist away but he only squeezed it tighter.

"No." Amu was beginning to feel irritated by him, thinking he had complete control over her. It wasn't as if she was a prisoner who had to follow his orders. Her house wasn't her jail cell. She could go out if she wanted to, but her shooting star couldn't see that. And no matter what, he couldn't keep her here if he wanted to. He was supposed to grant her wishes, not go against them.

"You are the saddest excuse for a shooting star I've ever seen," Amu said coldly. "I'm not your prisoner now let me—

Before she could protest or do anything about his actions, Ikuto grabbed both of her wrists and raised them above her head, pinning her to the door. Amu winced but didn't dare meet his cold blue eyes. But she didn't know why he was being so difficult right now, and it was irritating her. It wasn't as if she hated him, because right now he was all she had.

"I would really love it if you stopped fighting me and just listened to what I said." Ikuto bored into her, but Amu didn't look back up at him which made him angry.

"You're not the only one," Amu said. It wasn't like she really wanted to fight with him because she didn't. She did mind him coming along, but only because he was a star.

"Do I look unordinary to you?" Ikuto asked, softening his voice.

"No." Amu finally looked back up at him. His gaze and facial expression had softened, but now they looked hurt and it tugged at her heart a bit.

"So why would it matter if I went with you?"

Amu's eyes widened. He did look like an ordinary person. Nothing special about him. Except, that maybe, he was just a little...cute. Amu looked away but refused to blush like she wanted to. The position she was in was quite uncomfortable, and she struggled to find something to keep her eyes fixated on.

"Well..." She had to think for a moment. It wouldn't really matter at all. It was just the thought of him winning that made her angry. It's not as if she was competitive. She just...would like to go shopping on her own. Although that wasn't an option. Amu would have to force herself out of the situation. "Can you please let me go?"

Ikuto took a step back and released her wrists. She sighed in relief then rubbed them. She thought for a brief moment then made up her mind.

"So…" Ikuto began to say, but not before Amu turned around and bolted out the door.

_**~*iWish*~**_

Amu panted and panted when she finally stopped running. It had been a great deal of time. She had run out of her room and out of the house and continued to the super market, which was where she now stood—across the street from it. Several times she had looked behind her to see if Ikuto was there and none of those times did she ever see him.

She figured it must have not been that important to go that he would follow her.

Several other people roamed the streets and sidewalks where she was. It was no big surprise since it was a nice summer day. It was always busy when Amu went out and that mildly quenched her loneliness. Even if it was people she didn't know, being surrounded by them was nice.

While her side waited to cross the street, the other walked across it. Next to the super market was a big building that read 'The Dance Factory' in big blue letters. On the opposite side of the street were much smaller buildings all connected together to make a strip mall. Behind them were higher rise buildings that were most likely all business offices, although one always stuck out more than all the rest. A huge high rise building that was unmistakably hundreds of offices. At the bottom near a long set of stairs read a big sign called 'Easter'.

"Excuse me, miss?" Amu heard a voice behind her say. It sounded like a girl.

She turned around and found herself facing the prettiest girl she had ever seen. Although she was wearing a pair of sunglasses and a light purple hat, Amu could make out her beauty in every way. She was surprised to find that they were wearing the exact same outfit, just in different colors, and aside from the sunglasses and hat. Her long blond hair was tied up in two pigtails. She had a slender face and the slightest hint of a light pink blush on her cheeks.

"You're outfit is really cute," the girl said, smiling. Although Amu didn't look half as good as this other girl in it.

"T-thanks." That's when she noticed it. Upon the other girls shirt, was an orange star looped around a chain looped around her neck. At first Amu thought it was just a regular necklace but it looked exactly like Amu's in every way except the color. "Do you ha—

"Oh, look, it's time for us to cross," the girl said.

"Oh."

"Come on! We can walk together." The girl looped her arm around Amu's and began to walk across the street with her. She was a bit confused, but didn't just want to push the girl away. The girl seemed cheery enough, and very pretty. Amu couldn't understand why she would want to talk to her. What was Amu? Not pretty, and definitely not cheery.

It was probably just because they wore the same outfits. They finally reached the other side of the street, which is where Amu needed to be.

"So, where were you going today?" the girl asked. Amu eyed the super market. "Well, I was going to go h—

"Hey! I have an idea: Let's go window shopping together!" she cheered, then started to run to the other cross walk that led to the strip mall.

"Oh...wait—

"C'mon c'mon! It'll be fun!"

Amu looked back at the super market almost sympathetically. But...she needed to go there! But, she couldn't push this girl away. Especially if that necklace meant she had a star. Most likely the girl hadn't noticed Amu's because it was hidden in her shirt. If the blond really did have a star, maybe Amu could find something out about it. She could ask questions she had been dying to know.

But, that didn't seem too easy right now. Not with the girl wanting to go window shopping and Amu needing to go back to the super market. She couldn't make a scene in front of all these people. Amu simply followed the girl—although it wasn't as if she had much of a choice. She practically dragged her across the street.

"So, what's your name?" the girl asked, grinning behind that hat of hers. Amu wasn't sure if she should actually tell the girl her name or use a fake. Or escape.

"Um, Amu," she said, hesitation visible in her voice.

"Great! Nice to meet ya Amu. The name's Utau, but you can call me Uta or Ut or anything you like!" she said. Amu's head practically spun. She wasn't sure what to make of this one.

"Oh, okay Utau."

"Great! So, where do you want to go first?" Utau asked, eyes sparkling.

_The supermarket. _

"Um, well you see I—

"Hey! Why don't we go into this store?" she asked, pointing to one of the separated places on the strip mall. The building was painted a light pink color, almost the color of Amu's hair. It had two large windows on each side of the black door. Displayed in the windows were very expensive looking dresses and outfits that looked cute. Many women stood outside, admiring the displays. The windows were topped with a black canopy with white stripes. On each canopy in pink read 'Dear Lizzie Boutique'.

"C'mon," Utau said, running to the boutique still, attached to Amu.

"Oh," Amu moaned softly so Utau wouldn't hear.

They arrived at the boutique when people went rushing in. Apparently it was popular. Considering the fact Amu was being dragged by Utau didn't help the whole escaping thing. When they opened the door a bell rang, signaling the store had another customer.

"Welcome," said a girl with long purple hair. "We hope you enjoy Dear Lizzie."

"Thank you," Utau said, not even giving Amu a chance to speak.

Utau led her into the store like she knew exactly where she was going. Though Amu didn't. They passed so many clothes and things that looked like they had been picked out straight from the 1800's. Every section was primarily based on a different color. First was an orange section and then purple was right next to green which was right next to blue. There was a room in the middle that was specifically for red items only. Near the back was a white section and a black section. Then finally at the very back was a pink section right next to two small heavily decorated changing rooms.

Outside the boutique didn't look this big. But inside was a whole different story.

There were no lights on the ceiling. Atop each section on a small rack was a lamp the color of that section. They were beaded at the tip of the shade and decorated with very intricate designs of thread.

It surprised Amu how much they actually lit up the place.

"Amu, look at this! Isn't it just the cutest?" Utau held up an article of clothing that made Amu blush bright red.

It was the _shortest _dress Amu had ever seen in her entire life. It also looked like the tightest. It was made out of a sort of leathery fabric but felt soft at the touch. It had tiny straps that were laced with a dark blue color and set with purple roses at the ends. The dress itself was a sparkly purple. There were two other roses at the end of it where she was pretty sure her hips would end up if she were to try it on.

"W-what is tha—" Amu began to say before she was cut off.

"Oh my gosh, you _have _to try this on," Utau exclaimed, already starting back to a dressing room.

"Hey, wai—

Before Amu could squeeze in two words she was already being escorted to a dressing room by this very mysterious and odd blond.

The dressing room was small and very cramped. It seemed as if it were only meant for one person but there were now two people. Amu was beginning to feel claustrophobic before Utau stepped aside to reveal a body sized mirror embroidered with jewels and lacy fabric and beaded necklaces. And then Utau stepped in front of it, holding the dress she had been previously.

"Okay," she said, smiling. "Time to try it on." Utau hung the dress up momentarily and began to take Amu's shirt off.

"H-hey! Wait a second!" Amu stammered, trying to get Utau's hands away. Unfortunately the blonde was persistent and pushed Amu's defenses away. "Utau! Stop—

First came off her shirt. "Oh, come on just let me do it," Utau said.

"I can do it myself! But I really don't want to put that thi—

Utau's hands were working off Amu's mini skirt.

"H-hey! Uta—

Utau slid off Amu's mini skirt and she immediately covered herself. "Utau! What are you doing?!" Amu yelled before Utau's hand covered Amu's mouth.

"Shhhh. People will hear you." At that point it might have been alright if someone heard her so they could take her away from this nutcase.

"S-stop," Amu pleaded. Even though Utau was finished taking off all the clothes she needed to discard.

"Okay, time for the dress," she said, holding it back up to Amu.

"No, listen. Utau I really don't want to put tha—

And then Utau began to zip down the zipper in the back and pull it over Amu's head. "Hey!"

It was actually quite the scene trying to get that on her. Amu was fighting Utau and Utau was fighting Amu in a war to get the dress on. They bumped into the occasional wall here and there and almost tipped over about five times. With Amu's continuous protests it was a surprise the dress correctly got on her body without either of them being hurt.

And when Amu looked in the mirror, her face turned a red it never had before.

And Amu heard the worst possible thing from Utau all day. "I'd like to buy this!"

_**~*iWish*~**_

"I can't get over how cute you look in that dress!" Utau said for about the twentieth time since she'd had it on. Amu took a sip of her iced coffee before looking back to answer her.

"I have no idea why I'm wearing this," she said. Utau smiled.

"It doesn't really matter because you look so cute!" Twenty first.

Amu looked at Utau then at her chest. Which might sound weird at first but actually she wanted to get a better look at her star. They had gone several different places before finally settling down at this coffee shop. First it was the horrid boutique which Amu hoped she never had to visit again. Next they just had to visit the rest of the strip mall. Most stores Amu hoped to never visit again because Utau ruined it for her. All in all it was exhausting and weird because Amu really had no clue who Utau even was.

They talked for a while once at the coffee shop but the question Amu had been dying to ask still never escaped her lips.

"Hey, Utau," she began, hesitant to actually ask the question.

Utau looked over at her and tilted her head to the side. "Hm?"

Amu tried looking at something else to keep her mind off it. She looked at the menu that hung over the several drink makers and coffee bean grinders. It was surprising how expensive this place was. Nearly five dollars for a single cup of coffee. It was a good thing Utau paid for both of them. Then it hit her: Were Amu and Utau friends now? Instead of asking the previous question running through her mind, Amu asked a different one.

"Are we...are we friends?"

Utau's eyes widened slightly and Amu looked away again. Bad idea.

After all that, Amu was sure they at least had something. But again, it was probably just because they wore the same outfits when they first met. And Utau constantly wore that hat and those purple sunglasses. She might have been afraid of Amu. But even so, they just _had _to be friends by now. Or not. It was simply something Amu wished for. She really wanted to have another friend to take away her loneliness. Someone she could go out with. Someone she could do..._this _with. It did make Amu happy they went to all those places.

Even if they just met. It made her happy.

Utau gave her a warm smile before taking another sip of her coffee. "You know, I was wondering the same thing," she said. Amu's eyes widened.

So did that mean she got to choose? "Um, would you mind if we were?" she asked, gazing into her iced coffee.

"Not at all!"

And that was exactly what Amu wished to hear.

Or maybe wanted.

She remembered how well her last wish went. It went _too _well. That's how she ended up getting Ikuto—

Crap! Ikuto! She had completely forgotten. She told him she would be home in just a little bit after completely disappearing and bolting out the door. After he made such a big deal out of her going. It had been _way _longer than just a quick trip to the store. By now it must have been going on 4:00. The sun didn't set for another six hours at the least. She would be fine if it didn't get dark.

Because right now she wasn't so sure if she wanted to go home or not.

Pushing all thoughts aside about Ikuto, Amu turned back to Utau and smiled. "Yay!"

They both shared a little giggle that quickly turned into a laugh.

The bell on the door rang, signaling that someone had entered. They paid no attention to it though. Amu went back to looking out the window. There were still so many people that walked by. Window shopping was quite popular today. What Amu saw the most made her a little sad though. Couples. There were so many couples. From ones who simply walked by each other to ones that held hands to ones where the girl was clinging to the guy's arms.

It must have felt good to be clingy. Amu couldn't remember the last time she ever _clung _to something.

She wanted to look away from the window but couldn't take her eyes off.

That is until she felt something grab her wrist. She thought it was Utau so she looked over at her only to find her looking at something else with her coffee straw in her mouth. Or should she say _staring _at _someone _else. Amu looked over to the person that was grabbing her wrist.

And died.

"I-Ikuto!" Her voice sounded so surprised it caught the attention of some of the people in the shop. Amu immediately tried pulling her hand away. "What are you doing here?" She never thought he would come. Let alone find her. How did he find her exactly? He didn't stalk her, did he? She was positive he wasn't behind her at all when she was running. So, how...?

"We're going," Ikuto practically growled. Oh, Amu did not like the sound of that. He sounded beyond angry. But he was most likely holding it back since they were in public.

"Amu? Do you know him?" Utau asked.

Crap. This was not good. Amu wanted to turn to Utau and say 'no' but couldn't because Ikuto would probably interject and tell her 'yes'. Then Utau would be confused and after everything they just did Amu did not want Utau to be confused. She wanted to continue sitting there with her and drink coffee. But Ikuto just ruined that which made Amu angry. But if she showed her anger now it wouldn't be good.

"Um, well I..." Amu was at a loss of words at the moment. She tried looking at Utau for help but knew she couldn't do anything.

Utau was about to get up when Ikuto glared at her. Amu didn't like that either. She just made a new friend, and now Ikuto was trying to make a new enemy.

"Hey, stop," Amu said, glaring at Ikuto herself.

That was also a very bad idea. Ikuto yanked Amu up from her seat and began to walk away.

"Ikuto! Stop!" Amu tried resisting his pull but he was strong and she was not. She looked back at Utau apologetically and mouthed the words 'sorry' before Ikuto completely stole her away.

_**~*iWish*~**_

Ikuto not-so-kindly yanked Amu into her own house and up her own stairs where she continued to protest and try snatching her wrist away. The whole way there, all she did was yell at him and try to get away. It was quite surprising he didn't turn around and smack her at least once.

Amu knew he was angry. Well, like she had pointed out earlier, he was beyond angry. Infuriated. Although he must have been since she wasn't at the store. Amu felt a little bad. When she left he was trying to make amends with her and he was trying to be nice. He probably just didn't want her to get hurt. But right now he was being incredibly mean and _he _was the one hurting her.

Ikuto opened Amu's door and threw her inside. Literally, he threw her. She stumbled forward trying to find her balance. Her purse fell off her shoulder and hit the ground with a thump. Amu didn't have time to completely regain her balance before Ikuto unzipped the back of her dress and, again, not-so-kindly pushed her onto her bed.

She fell backwards and hit her bed which creaked and bounced at her sudden entrance on it. Now, Amu was a bit mad because all he was doing was throwing her around. She wasn't some kind of punching bag or something. She was a human, a girl, and deserved to be treated like one.

Amu began to get up off her bed. But Ikuto beat her to it by pinning her wrists to the soft blankets and getting on top of her.

"Get off of me!" she yelled, struggling to get her wrists away. Ikuto only glared at her and tried nothing to stop her because she wouldn't get out anyway.

"You weren't at the store," he said, slamming a knee between her legs. She cried out in pain and tried to kick him but it didn't work. "You left without me," he said, a little angrier. He pinned down her other leg, using his. Putting pressure on it made Amu yet again cry out in pain. It wasn't hard to tell Ikuto was definitely holding back his anger. You could tell it in his voice, and his actions. Suppressing it was seemingly getting harder and harder though.

"You went with some stranger," he growled, lowering his head. He earned yet another cry of pain when he harshly bit the nape of her neck.

"She wasn't some stranger! She's my friend!" she yelled, once again attempting to snatch her wrists away to push him off.

With all of her strength she successfully kneed him in the stomach and Ikuto flinched. His grip loosened on her wrists and she struggled and fought until finally pushing him off her. She sat up and was about to get off the bed.

But that was it. Ikuto had finally had enough. He grabbed Amu's wrists once again and turned her around, pinning her to the wall. The only thing was that he was staring at her back. He pinned her front side to the wall. He shoved his body up against hers, adding to the pressure. She screamed as he squished everything there was.

"Get away!" she yelled, but it was no use. Ikuto had Amu completely trapped and defenseless aside from her struggles.

"And now," he whispered in her ear, deeply in a tone that made Amu shiver. "You get a punishment."

Amu should have just gone to the store today.

* * *

**Sierra: Oooo~ I was waiting so long to write the last part. That's what this whole chapter was aiming for~ XD Nice huh? I don't know. Anyways, I hope you ENJOYED~ If this seems really blotchy and crap it's probably because it is. The thing is I can't just sit down and type up an entire chapter. This chapter was done throughout the course of a month. Because it's been a month since I updated...Gomen. **

**But anyways, please leave kind reviews~ I know it's been a while. I wasn't planning on taking a whole month. Please also thank animelover1910~! (beta reader) **

**REVIEW**

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	3. Little Girl's Wish

**Sierra: Are you guyz happy I posted chappie two? I now realize the longer you wait to update, the more impatient people get and then they just give up. Believe me, I am a VERY impatient person. I refuse to wait the period of time it takes water to come out of my fridge into my glass. Any who, I guess last chapter kinda hung on a cliffy but nowz I typez so reeeeaaaadzzzz! **

**(BTW, there's a poll on my profile. I haven't said anything about it for whatever reason but go vote for it! The poll asks, 'Who's you're favorite pairing in Shugo Chara?') **

* * *

**Orion **

**CHAPTER 3**

_**~*Little Girl's Wish~*** _

_**~*iWish~*** _

Amu stared bleakly at the wall. Well, her door anyways. She lay in the soft comfort of her bed. And the maximum heat of the boy who had wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her securely latched to him. Although her back was against his chest, she could feel his soft breath on her neck as he slept.

_He _was sleeping. _She _wasn't.

It wasn't much of a punishment really. He just made her sleep with him. Nothing serious.

And now here she lay, wrapped up in him. She had been mistaken to think going out with Utau would go well. Her only intention was to go to the store. Not have some girl pick her up and drag her to several different stores. Although Amu hoped she would get to see Utau again. They were friends now, and Amu didn't have many of those.

She just hoped Ikuto hadn't ruined it for them. But she wasn't sure how she would get to see Utau again. They didn't get the chance to exchange numbers before Ikuto unexpectedly swept her away.

Amu sighed lightly. She wanted to get out of this dress. It was very uncomfortable to lay in. But Ikuto didn't seem like he would let go any time soon. Even if he was asleep, she couldn't move to quickly or else he would wake up. She definitely didn't need that. Her hands moved down slowly to lightly grasp his wrists and gently pull them apart and away from her. It was something so slowly done she felt as if he was made out of glass.

Successfully his hands were placed by his sides without him being woken up. Getting off the bed also needed to be slowly done. It creaked a little when she sat up, and when she got off. Amu turned around to see Ikuto still sound asleep.

Perfect.

Amu slipped the dress off quickly but quietly and set it in her closet. She thought of what to wear, but nothing specific came to mind. Clothes to go in the supermarket in? Well, jeans and a plain shirt would work. Grabbing two hangers from the closet, she removed the clothes from them and gently put them back. It was very critical she didn't make any noise and wake Ikuto. She began putting her clothes on.

The room was actually very quiet. It was the next day, of course. Amu had slept with Ikuto the first night, she guessed anyways. He did appear in her bed out of nowhere. This was the first time they actually _slept _together though. And she was so confused with herself on how she managed to fall asleep with him in her bed. Although she was able to wake in the morning, which was now.

Once her clothes were on, Amu grabbed her money once again and slowly opened the bedroom door. One fatal creek could lead to another disaster.

There was no need for that. This time, she would just go to the store. No interruptions, no random girls showing up. Just a quick trip to the store.

Of course, that's what she thought last time and she saw how well that ended up. It was a little grayer today though, so she had no need to stay longer than needed. When the weather's not nice, nobody's outside.

Right?

Amu didn't bother to close the door all the way on her way out. It would only result in _noise._

By the door, she quickly put on a pair of yellow converse and silently made her way to the store.

**_~*iWish*~_**

It wasn't as warm as Amu expected it to be actually. Usually during the summer when the sky is gray it's a little humid outside too. But it was a bit chilly, jacket weather even. Unfortunately she didn't bother to get a jacket when she left.

This time, crossing the cross walk there were no girls to bother her. Or at least no girls that _did _bother her. People walked in silence as if they felt as gray as the weather. Un-ordinary, but she wasn't about to start complaining.

Amu walked straight into the supermarket, hoping she could get in with no interruptions. And it worked. Surprisingly. It was also very warm in there as she noticed. It really was just perfect.

She grabbed a small black basket and held it on her arm. It was a little more lively in here, but not that bad. Again, she wasn't going to start complaining or anything.

Amu didn't really have a list, so she just walked around at first, trying to find anything that looked good. A lot of things looked good, but she did have to limit herself from the lack of money. After thinking that only one word ran through her mind.

_Job. Job. Job. _

She didn't want to get a job though. There was nothing she's even good at. Well, that's not a good way to put it. Amu did have some skills. In, let's see, if she could remember in school she was good at art. But finding an art job was even harder to find than a regular job. She was somewhat good at sports. She could sprint really fast, but couldn't run for a long period of time. Her mother taught her how to cook, but you had to have gone to college to become a chef.

There was one more thing...

Amu's mind stopped when she spotted packages of strawberries in the cooled section.

_Strawberries..._

She quickly walked over to them and started investigating each package, trying to find the best one. Wait, wait, wait. Her mom taught her how to pick out strawberries. The ones that were bright red were the best. **(:D) **The darker ones were mushy and no good. And most important, _don't _get the ones with mold in it. Amu searched, and searched, and searched, until finally the perfect package found her sight. She threw it in the black basket and continued on.

Mind as well get some more fruits and vegetables. They were good for you. Although health was the last thing on Amu's mind right now.

She walked over to the large bars where water was currently being sprayed on the vegetables. She remembered when she was little, she would walk up to them and put her hands under the misters. Her dad would try to take her away, but her mom wanted to let her be. It seemed everything now reminded her of her past, when her parents were still alive.

Amu walked down the long row, not paying attention to what was in front of her, but examining the vegetables as water dripped from them.

So of course it was only then when she suddenly bumped into someone, and her basket flew off her arm. Amu's eyes shut tightly then opened to see who she knocked to the ground.

A girl, who looked considerably younger than Amu, fell to the ground. The basket fell next to her, the strawberries falling out.

"Oh my gosh are you okay? I'm so sor-"

The girl lifted her head up, looking straight at Amu. Amu had been right to consider the fact she was younger. Her face was round like a childs, but she could distinguish her jaw line, and the point of her chin. Her big round brown eyes made Amu want to keep staring at them. But her orange colored hair caught her eye. It was tied into thin pigtails by two large red bows.

She had on an orange and white scarf and a white long sleeved shirt with pink shorts.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Amu asked, holding her hand out to help the girl up.

The girl surprisingly ignored her, and turned to pick up the strawberries that fell from her basket. She watched as the girl put the strawberries back in the basket and propped it up. She stood up and lifted the basket, handing it to Amu.

The girl brushed herself off. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

Amu looped the basket around her arm again, making sure it was secure."It's fine, but are you okay? I didn't mean to knock you down."

"It's not you're fault," the girl said, straightening her scarf. "I should have watched where I was going."

"Me too," Amu said, feeling a little guilty.

For a while neither of them said anything. Amu was about to turn around and continue shopping, until the girl finally opened her mouth to speak.

"You're picking out strawberries?" she asked, shrugging a bit and putting her hands by her sides.

Amu looked at the girl, trying to figure out what she meant by that. Of course she was picking out strawberries but other food items too. "Yes, I am."

The girl shrugged again and looked at the vegetables that were still being sprayed. "You were just looking at these too. I could help you, you know, if you wanted," she said, the slightest bit of shyness taking control of her voice.

Amu tilted her head to the side. Help her? She wasn't really sure if she needed help, or why the girl was asking. "Help me?"

"Yeah! I'm like, really good at picking out food like this. I could help you, but only if you want help."

Amu was thoroughly confused. The girl was good at picking out vegetables, and she wanted to help Amu. It was only a little girl, so there was really nothing to say no to. And nothing to be afraid of. If she got help from the girl, then she would be able to return home quicker. That actually did sound like a good idea.

Amu smiled. "Sure."

"Yes! Thank you! Trust me, I can get the really good ones," she said, smiling happily and already starting to investigate the food products. Amu was a little confused, but the little girl seemed happy. The girl looked back at her, and then panicked a little bit. "Oh! I'm sorry. My name is Yaya."

At least now Amu had a name to call her. Yaya. It was a cute name for a little girl. Well, however old Yaya was. She didn't seem _that _young, but definitely some years difference between the two.

"Okay, let's see. Cucumbers taste especially good around this time of year. They're really good for making Cucumber water..." Yaya trailed off into her own land of explaining all the different types of vegetables and what you could use them for. For a little girl, she was quite smart.

"Have you ever made carrot cake?" she asked. Amu looked at the batches of carrots they had tied up.

"No, have you?" She tried using a gentler voice in front of Yaya.

"Of course I have! It's really good, you should make it some time. It's also easy, so it'll be no sweat." Yaya grabbed a small bunch of carrots and placed them in Amu's basket.

She couldn't really refuse so she let it pass.

Yaya was in control at that point, and Amu only followed behind her.

"Hm, tomatoes are good for making fresh spaghetti sauce as well. Mm, but you've probably never made it before. Do you cook?"

Amu didn't cook, but her mother did. Or used to anyways. "No, I don't."

"Just as I thought. You should really learn how to make these things. It's fun and easy, also I think home making something is better than buying it in a can or package." Yaya went digging through the mountain of tomatoes to find the biggest and most delicious looking ones. "These should do it."

And yet again another item was added to the slowly growing basket.

Yaya seemed to know a lot about food products and how to pick them out.

"Have you ever tried radishes?" she asked, stopping by a patch of green leaves where radishes were hidden in between.

Amu thought for a moment. She thought she tried them once before, and it being too hot for her mouth and her spitting it out. "No."

"Sometimes they can be hot, but others their really good. If you put salt on them it helps, but you never know which ones will be hot and which ones won't," she explained. Yaya packaged up two or three bunches in a bag and put them in Amu's basket.

They were finally almost done with the long bar of vegetables. Walking along as Yaya explained all the different types of vegetables, Amu couldn't stop smiling. This little girl was intriguing definitely. She seemed to have no problem helping Amu who had no idea how to even cook most foods. It was odd that a little girl would want to help a stranger.

"By the way, I like you're shoes," Yaya said catching Amu off guard.

Amu looked down at her shoes, which were the yellow converse she quickly threw on earlier and left silently in. "Thanks."

"No problem. So, why did you come here alone? Just doing some alone shopping today?"

Amu couldn't necessarily tell Yaya the whole truth why she was alone today, but she could definitely lie. "Yeah." The word felt stupid coming out of her mouth but it was the truth. Somewhat. "Are you here all by yourself?"

Amu almost regretted asking when Yaya's cheeks puffed out. She thought Yaya was about to answer when she abruptly changed the subject.

"Right, you wanted fruit too, didn't you?" Yaya lead Amu to the fruit section which was right next to the vegetable bar. She inspected several fruits before stopping at the green apples. "These apples are _perfect _for making apple pie. Although around this time of year most people don't want to use the oven because it's too hot. But I assume you've never made apple pie."

"No, I haven't. Sorry," Amu said feeling the need to apologize for some reason.

Yaya sighed. "Have you at least _tried _it before. And I'm not saying like store bought apple pie like, the real thing. Homemade apple pie."

And in fact she didn't. Be it store bought or homemade, Amu had never tried apple pie. She was afraid of what Yaya would say when she said no. "No."

"Then you _have _to try it sometime. It's delicious. I can make it for you if you want," Yaya said. She was already ripping a plastic bag from the roll and opening it up.

"Can you make homemade apple pie?" Amu asked.

"Of course I can! I can make everything in the book," she said. "Baking is so easy but so fun. I can't believe you don't know anything about it."

Truthfully, Amu really didn't know anything about baking or cooking. She knew how to make the food in cans or packages where the directions were laid out for her. But making something like apple pie or fresh spaghetti sauce was something most likely way out of her league. She figured box mac & cheese was the last thing she actually _made. _Aside from all the processed crap she bought.

"Also, homemaking things is healthier than buying them in stores."

"Really?" Amu asked.

"Yes! Have you looked at the back of anything here lately? The nutrition facts can lie to you sometimes and make it seem healthy, but when you look at the ingredients in some of these food products, it's really disgusting what some people are putting in their mouth."

Yaya sure went into deep thought about all this stuff. She picked out some apples and placed them in the bag one by one.

"Oh."

Yaya tied up the bag of apples and put them in Amu's basket.

There was a section across from the oranges and apples with more vegetables that didn't need to be watered. Yaya walked over to it and started looking around. The first thing Amu saw were the onions. Which brought up the memory of her eating them once with some special sauce and chicken her mother made. She remembered liking the sauce, but hating the onions. And right next to the onions were bell peppers. Which Amu had heard of but never tried. She tended to base food off of it's appearance. So in other words, if it didn't look good she wouldn't eat it.

Although what Yaya walked up to looked totally different than onions or bell peppers. "Alvarado's are wonderful for making guacamole," she said, picking one up and turning it all different ways. "That is if you do it right."

Amu smiled. "Can you do it right?"

"Yep! I make _awesome _guacamole, but isn't it weird? I don't exactly like it, but everybody says it's good. It's not the worst dip on earth, but it's not the best. In my opinion," she replied, adding her own little spice to the sentence.

Yaya walked back to the other side, where the fruits were located. She headed to the patch of oranges and already began picking some out. "Oranges are good for mostly a sweet after meal. You know, like a dessert. They taste delicious and their healthy. Do you know why fruits taste so yummy?" she asked.

Amu shook her head.

"Well, they taste kinda sugary don't they? That's because fruits have natural sugar. It's not like the sugar you buy in the store, which _is _from a plant, but after that it's processed and other things are added to it. But the sugar in fruits is very sweet and healthy,"she explained.

She didn't know why, but Amu found it sort of cute that this little girl knew all this stuff. And Yaya explained it all so well. She was practically an expert. Her big round eyes sparkled at the sight of almost everything. Amu was glad she said yes to her help. It would have been pretty lonely and boring without Yaya.

And then it hit Amu: Where did Yaya learn all of this?

As they zig-zagged through the fruit toward the bakery the question still hindered in her mouth.

Finally it came out. "Where did you learn all of this? From you're mother?"

Yaya didn't stop, but she did slow down her semi-fast walk. Her mouth opened then closed again.

"Well, I guess you could say that," she said, her voice saddening a bit.

Amu tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Even though Yaya's voice had saddened as well as her expression she still kept a smile on her small face. She turned to the side to face some peaches and plums. She reached up and started picking each one up to inspect it. "Mama did teach me a lot, but I don't live with her anymore."

The entire sentence almost stopped Amu's heart. "Why?"

Yaya grabbed a plastic bag from the cheese sized roll and and began adding plums. "Well, mama was very sick when dad left. Dad said he didn't like being with mama but I don't know why. Mama did get sick a lot and dad always had to take care of her. Maybe he always got sick of that. I think he got married two years ago to another girl," she said, tying up the bag. She reached for another one to begin putting peaches in.

"By then mama wasn't able to take care of me anymore, and dad's new wife said she didn't want to take care of a child. So mama stayed in the hospital, and I had to get a foster mom. She doesn't have a husband, but I think it's fine with just the two of us." She reached up again to grab some peaches when Amu finally noticed it.

The thin chain around her neck came out when she flipped one sleeve of her scarf behind her back. And out from the front fell a star shaped pendant, and the color was green.

A _star. _

Amu's eyes widened. This little girl had a _star. _

But Amu didn't get to ask before Yaya went on.

"My foster mom loves to cook and bake, so she taught me. She said I learned pretty quickly, and that was good. She said I would one day make a nice wife, but really I want to stay a baby and go back to when mama and dad always had their attention on me." She placed both bags in the basket.

"But, I'm pretty content. I get to see my friend a lot, who's really nice to me. We always meet up at the park in secret," she said, putting a finger on her lips. "So don't tell anybody." Yaya winked then smiled.

Amu felt bad for Yaya because she knew what it was like to be separated from her parent from experience. But she didn't want to stay on the subject. She simply winked then smiled back.

"Yaya!" a woman's voice called out.

Amu turned to the sudden noise behind them. A woman that looked about as tall as Amu wearing the most puffy green dress was running toward the two.

"Uh oh," Yaya said. "She found me."

Amu almost giggled. "Is that you're foster mom?" she asked.

"Yeah." Yaya fixed her scarf and necklace.

"Hey," she said, catching Amu's attention by a thin line. "Do you mind, you know, if we could um..." Yaya couldn't quite spit out what she was trying to say. "Well, I was just thinking it was kinda fun helping you, and since I told you a lot about me, maybe we could..."

Amu smiled at the girls struggling. "Be friends?" She finished the sentence for her.

Yaya smiled. "Yeah."

Amu didn't have to think about it for another minute. "Of course."

Yaya seemed surprised at first, like she didn't believe Amu because she was older. "Pinkie promise?"

Amu leaned down and held out her pinkie for her to take it. Yaya extended her pinkie and they wrapped around each other. "Pinkie promise."

"Yaya! I'm glad I found you, where did you run off to? Have you been bugging this teenage girl?" she asked, looking at Yaya then at Amu.

"Well, I just-"

"She wasn't bugging me at all, ma'am. She helped me," Amu said. The woman looked at her, then back at her foster child.

"Were you helping her?" she asked.

"Yes."

The woman almost sighed in relief. "Okay," she said. She looked at Amu apologetically. "Sorry if she caused you any trouble. I thought I had her under control."

Amu shook her head. "No, no, it's fine. She really was helping me. See?" She held up her basket full of fruits and vegetables. "She picked all these out for me."

The woman smiled. "Yaya, did you really do that for her?"

Amu could tell by the look on her face she was a bit embarrassed. "Yes, I did. Can we please go now?"

"Your always in such a rush," she replied.

"Yes I know, but I want to go to the park later." Yaya looked at Amu and winked. "So can we please go?"

The woman sighed. "Yes okay we can go." She took Yaya's hand in her own. "Thank you for looking after her." She faced Amu.

"No biggie," she said, smiling.

They both turned and began walking away, the woman asking Yaya questions about what happened and Yaya trying to change the subject. It was a bit refreshing to see her like that. But all in all, Amu did just make a new friend, even _if _she was younger. A friend is still a friend.

Well, now that Amu had all the fruits and vegetables she needed, she didn't exactly have money for anything else. But with all the help Yaya gave her, she could make things out of all of it.

Time to check out.

_**~*iWish*~** _

It was still groggy and gray outside when Amu made it out. The fruits and vegetables only took up two bags. One rested on each arm of her. All in all, she took longer than expected.

Again.

She hoped Ikuto would still be asleep when she got home again. _If _she got home before he caught her.

Amu sighed and began making her way over to the cross walk. On her way there, a song played through the large screen on the other side of the street in the intersection. That was the TV they used to broadcast all different types of things. A lot of it was just songs and singers, showing a new CD was out. That's probably what it was showing now, but the girl on the screen caught Amu's eye when she took a quick glance.

Her hair was long and tied up in pig tails, the color of the sun. Her face looked so familiar it was scary. The song she was singing sounded cool, and there were butterflies all over the screen. When one scene came up, she wasn't sure whether to be shocked or not.

The girl held a butterfly in her hands, and then it disappeared and her eyes widened.

_A pair of purple eyes behind purple sunglasses. _

Then the name came up on screen.

Hoshina Utau.

That name...

Utau.

_Utau. _

The girl from yesterday!

Amu was friends with Hoshina Utau?! A pop singer/model!

Amu froze in surprise. That...could not be true. Hoshina Utau making friends with someone like Amu? What was happening there? It would explain the hat she wore, and those sunglasses. But completely aside the point, she was friends with a _singer. _That never happens. Only other singers are friends with singers.

Amu's head spun. What was going on?

She walked to the cross walk. Thinking that through, well, processing it was hard enough. She couldn't get to the thinking through stage.

But who knows.

Well, it wasn't the first outgoing girl she made friends with.

The slight chill in the air made her eyes form into small slits against the bitter wind. She had to look away from the TV so her eyes wouldn't water. But they already began to.

The movement among the crowd forced Amu forward and she almost went tumbling. Forcefully walking across the street was something she had found easier than doing it yourself. Especially when you didn't want to. Not that Amu specifically didn't want to, but in this case it might have been a little hard.

She winced when someone stepped on her foot. Some people were careless, and Amu regretted that very dearly. Even though it was an accident. Too many people were trying to walk at the time she was.

The group walking the other way made her bags rattle and shake.

She couldn't even think about Utau being her friend anymore.

Just some way to get out of this.

By the time she had reached the other side, it was too late to realize she had gone the wrong way. This sidewalk was the one that lead to a relatively large park. It was surrounded by a black gate with many intricate designs. The vines that grew out of the ground wrapped around the gate and entangled everything in their color. It was hard to tell the park from behind them.

Amu could finally breath when she slowly walked down the sidewalk, taking in it's view.

The gray sky was nothing to squint at, but it sent down a phosphorescent glow upon the park and sidewalk.

Amu's bag accidentally caught on one of the tips of the gate, and tore it open in one quick slice. Some of the oranges and radishes fell out and started rolling down the sidewalk.

"Ah!" She started running after them in attempt to put them back.

The radishes didn't get very far before they stopped. It was a shame they had to touch the dirty sidewalk. The good thing was they could be washed and cleaned again. She grabbed them and took the torn bag and placed it on the ground. She wrapped the two torn pieces together and made a basket like thing so she could put them in. Once the radishes were in she needed to get the other items that fell out.

She scurried after the oranges next. Even though they touched the ground they didn't need to be washed. The peeling came right off.

Amu picked up two oranges and placed them in her basket-bag. Although one kept on rolling.

She tried to grab it but it was ultimately faster than her.

It was time for the chase to stop when the orange stopped rolling. But it only stopped rolling because someones foot stood in front of it, trapping it in place.

Amu followed after the foot, to the persons legs, their stomach, their chest, until finally her eyes landed on the persons face.

Her eyes widened.

"I-Ikuto...!" She quickly stood up and stumbled back.

She was too late. Yaya made her stay too long.

_Not this again...! _

She didn't want Ikuto to be mad. She didn't want him to be mean to her like he had yesterday when he found her. And now here he was.

He had found her again. Caught her out when she wasn't supposed to be out.

Her heart sped up.

"I-I..." There wasn't anything that she could explain that would make sense to him. She left. That's pretty much it. But with a reason.

She had a reason yesterday too, and Ikuto understood the reason. This time they hadn't had a chance to talk before she left.

It might have been a good thing too.

He wouldn't have let her out if they talked first. But catching her now, Amu wished she had said a few words to the guy. Which oddly angered her

It was _her _choice. She could go out if she wanted to. She shouldn't have to consult with a star before doing what had to be done. It's not as if shopping for groceries was a bad thing anyway. It was a necessity. She didn't do it because she necessarily wanted to. Although she did want to because she needed food. But if she had already had food, she most likely wouldn't have done it.

But she wasn't thinking about that right now!

Amu looked at Ikuto's face. More or less, his _eyes. _

They looked sad, pained even. Amu's heart twisted then fell to her stomach. He looked _hurt. _She winced.

Was it because of her? Did she do this? Because she left?

Something that scared her, he wasn't even _looking _at her. He stared at the ground instead, but his eyes were clear in sight. Ikuto looked like a huge tragedy just overcame him, and he was standing there like a lost child wondering what to do.

But Amu didn't know why.

He almost looked like a child with that expression.

His lips curled in an odd way that made it seem Ikuto was trying to suppress tears.

Amu took a small step toward him.

Ikuto flinched, as if her presence was hurting him. Like if she came any closer he would just break.

The orange under his foot got loose and started rolling further down the sidewalk. It came to a crack then turned in small circles. She watched until in finally settled and sat still on the concrete.

_Going in circles. _

Amu let both of the bags slide down her arms and hit the ground. She stood there, frozen momentarily.

The pain in Ikuto's expression...

Without thinking twice before she moved, Amu ran to Ikuto and threw her arms around him. She hugged him tightly.

"Don't look like that," she choked. "Don't have that expression on you're face."

"How can I not?" His voice made her heart hurt. "You keep running away from me." It sounded so sad.

She shut her eyes tightly. "I didn't mean to run away." It wasn't guilt she was feeling. It was sympathy. Empathy. Feelings that made her act like this.

"Then why do you keep leaving? Do you not like me?" Her heart cracked.

_It's not that. _"It's not as if I hate you," she whimpered. "I just..."

"Don't want to be around me?" Her heart shattered.

"I never said that! It's not that I don't want to be around you. I _wished _for you. I want you to always be around. I want to _always _be around you!"

Ikuto hugged Amu tightly and closed the gap between them. She didn't know why she was telling him this. She shouldn't be. She shouldn't be saying this to him. She should be mad. And yet she was hugging him. Making-up with him even.

"Ikuto," she said, catching his attention. "Take me home. Please. I want to go home with you."

Whether she regretted saying it or not, it was for the best.

* * *

**Sierra: Aw, she wants to go home with him. That's cute. **

**Oh! Hi there. Sorry! I took a month again to update. Actually it's been a little over a month. I'm so sorry. But, I PROMISE I will update quicker next time. PROMISE. You might even be seeing another update this month...? **

**REVIEW  
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	4. Lulu's Sugary Wish

**Sierra: Oh. Hey. Sup. **

**Lol. So, really, what's up? Just kidding! Thank you for reviews last chapter! Hey, I think I might start doing review responses. Would you guys like that? I don't know, it's still just an idea but I think it would be fun. Otay otay on with z chapter! Also, Lulu's Cafe in this chapter will be kinda like Olive Garden. K? It's a restaurant if you don't know what Olive Garden is. **

**Also, I think the chapters might get a little bit longer from here on out, because I've decided how many chapters I'm ganna have for this story, and it's not a lot. So the only way to fix that is to make them longer! **

**I hope you guys won't mind too much. I'll try to make it an easier read without making it look so...wordy. XD **

**XXShugo Chara: I have not, nor have I ever been, playing any part in the making of this show. **

* * *

**Orion **

**CHAPTER 4 **

_**~*Lulu's Sugary Wish*~ **_

_**~*iWish*~** _

"What do you want to order?" he asked, inspecting the menu himself.

"I don't know, what do you want to order?" She took a small sip of her Strawberry Lemonade before setting it back down and checking out her own menu.

"I think that's what I just asked you." Ikuto pushed over his silverware to the side and set down his menu.

It was already the next day, which meant the third day Ikuto had shown up to be with Amu. Surprising how time seems to fly by, and Amu herself couldn't seem to believe it. Yet he was there, by her side as she wished. It was quite the histerical scene if anyone would have asked. Turns out, Ikuto hadn't been all that mad the day before. Sure he was hurt but Amu didn't so anything too out of her way to upset him. He forgave her of course. And now, today they decided to go out _together _so Ikuto wouldn't be upset. and what better place to go than to Lulu's Cafe?

Oddly they both sat on the same side of the booth. Nobody necessarily sat across from them but there were others in other booths by them. And of course, they were both having problems trying to figure out what they wanted.

Ikuto, being a star and all, probably had never been there. But he did know what restaurants were and all that fancy jazz.

Amu hadn't been here since her parents were still there. It had been quite some time. She found if you don't go to a place regularly you forget what all they had to offer last time and what you got when you came.

How difficult her life seemed to have gotten with Ikuto, but she didn't particularly mind.

Amu looked over at Ikuto who was still inspecting his menu. She remembered how he looked just the day previous. Those vibrant blue eyes looked so sad and dull before. But now when she looked it seemed as if all the color returned. He had been smiling a lot today, and they even held hands on the walk to this place. She was surprised at how quickly things changed. And how much closer they got in just three days.

Ikuto must have noticed her staring, because his eyes met hers and they locked for a moment. "Something wrong?"

All Amu could do was smile for the briefest moment then go back to looking at her menu. "No, not at all," she said, trying to hold back a giggle.

And no matter what, going out to eat with him was sure to be fun. And most likely interesting. Anything can happen when you're with a _star. _

"Alrighty, sorry for the wait. We're a little busy today." Their server came up to them almost unnoticed. It had taken quite a while but that's a good thing because neither Amu or Ikuto knew what they wanted. The best thing to do now was just wing it.

The waitresses name tag read _Lulu. _

Well, that was ironic. The name of this place _was _Lulu's Cafe. And this girl seemed to be wearing something different than the rest of the servers. Maybe this was the owner.

"May I take you're order?" she asked.

Amu wasn't paying attention to that at the moment. She was too busy looking at the girls long light green hair. _  
_

_What an odd color for hair. _

Lulu's hair was long and made one big flip at the end which almost looked like a giant curl. Her big eyes were wide and cheery on her pretty face. In some strange ways this girl reminded Amu of Utau.

Oh...Utau. Amu still hadn't forgotten about that. She hadn't heard from her since they met, but that's to be expected. They weren't able to exchange numbers or anything. And-

Amu's train of thought was stopped by Ikuto's elbow nudging at her ribs. She looked over. "She's talking to us," he said. She suddenly remembered they were in the middle of ordering their food. All that thinking about other things was making her head spin. It seemed to stop on every other topic all the time besides what was actually happening right now.

"Oh, sorry." Amu scrambled for her menu. She truly looked pathetic and clumsy. "Um...I uh-I-I'll have the uh-"

"I think we'll both just get one large order of salad and split it," Ikuto said, covering for her almost. Even if he was a star, he was pretty quick with his wit and could cover up all of Amu's mistakes. Which made her seem just a little more unreliable and made Ikuto seem just a little more responsible.

Lulu wrote down the one order on her notepad and put the pen on the binding and put it in her pocket. "Of course, I'll have that right out for ya."

When she turned to leave, Amu swore she saw something familiar dangling from her ear. But too quickly Lulu passed and headed toward the kitchen. She didn't stop staring after her which probably looked weird. Seeing as Ikuto sat on the outside and she sat on the inside next to the window.

Her head was then bopped by a hand and once again she was forced to get off her train of thought.

"Hello? Is anybody in there today?" Ikuto kept bopping her on the head and Amu flinched every time.

"Stop it," she breathed, pushing his had away. "Sorry. I was just...looking at something." _Something _might have had more meaning than just _anything. _

Ikuto raised an eyebrow in a skeptical way and said, "Yes, I see that."

Instead of answering him, or at least replying in a way that would make sense, Amu bit down on her straw and played with it a little. She came to the realization they put way too much sugar in her Strawberry Lemonade which probably made it taste good but was highly unhealthy. Lemonade by itself would be healthy, she guessed, without the extreme amount of sugar they had to add to it.

And before she realized it she was back in her own world; the one where she thinks.

She thinks about a lot of things there, and is somehow swept away from her original world in the process.

"Amu?"

"Huh?" she replied, automatically.

Ikuto sighed. "I asked you a question. What's wrong with you today? You keep spacing out."

"Oh, um, sorry. I guess I have a lot on my mind. What was the question again?"

Ikuto shifted in his seat and rested his face in one hand which was propped up by his elbow on the table. He looked at Amu and asked, "So what took you so long yesterday?"

For a moment she was confused, but then remembered her trip to the supermarket and meeting with Yaya. She hadn't even bothered to tell him about that.

"Oh, that...um, I just got so caught up in shopping. Well, I was having problems picking the right foods apparently. Sorry," she lied. Technically some of it wasn't a lie. The only part she left out was the most important part: the one where she met Yaya.

Without changing the expression on his face, Ikuto blankly said, "You're a terrible liar."

That hit Amu straight in the stomach. She hadn't even gotten that far with explaining and already he knew she was lying. Stars are smarter than they look.

"Okay so I did meet this one girl..." Mind as well tell the truth now. Nothing she can really do about it if he knows every time she's going to lie.

"Hm?" Ikuto's expression actually changed to _interested. _

She couldn't decide whether that was good or bad.

"Well, she was just a little girl, maybe, twelve, or something. But, she helped me pick out some vegetables, and she was really nice and cute." Just talking about Yaya made Amu smile, and she forgot to finish responding. She had forgotten that Yaya became another friend, which made Amu so happy. The little girl really did have a lot of confidence. Amu wished she could have been as brave and outgoing as her. Maybe if they met again soon she could ask how Yaya does it.

Amu again forgot she was talking to Ikuto. Her eyes focused on his shoulder which was covered by the black shirt he had been wearing for quite a while now.

"Amu!" It came out as a whisper yell from the mouth of Ikuto.

Her eyes darted up as her head followed.

"Okay, one Salad. I brought two bowls and here are your bread sticks," said Lulu, their previous server. She set tow bowls in front of them, and then a small basket of bread sticks. She pulled out a cheese grinder and began sprinkling it over their salad. "Okay, will that be all for you?"

Ikuto nodded, then looked at Amu who stared in confusion.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything else," she said with a smile. Lulu turned and walked away.

Ikuto then seriously turned to Amu and looked at her straight in the eyes. "What is wrong with you today? You keep spacing out. Can you please stay on this planet for more than a couple seconds?"

Amu puffed out her cheeks at this. "You're one to talk, star. _You _live in a place that's surrounded by planets."

"Yes, well," he began, taking another sip of his water. "I have a reason. _You _don't."

"You don't know that," she remarked. "Maybe I do."

Ikuto set his glass back down on the table. "Whether you do or not, that's not an issue right now. This salad can't eat itself you'know."

Amu scooted away her Strawberry Lemonade and placed a bowl in front of her. "I think I've been on earth long enough to know that," she said, scooping some parmasean cheese covered salad into her bowl.

Ikuto followed her movements and grabbed a fork from his napkin. "Even though I'm a star, I'm really no different from a person that lives here on earth." He mixed up his salad and looked at Amu, who was still having problems trying to get the tape off her napkin to reveal her silverware. He sighed and took it away from her, opening it himself. "At least I can open a napkin when needed."

Amu puffed out her cheeks at this, which made her look cute and childish at the same time. "I'm just having a little trouble is all."

Ikuto chuckled and handed her a fork.

She stirred up her salad, as Ikuto had. It's almost as if they were just copying each others movements. It's odd that today they were getting along so well, while other days no matter how hard they tried nothing worked. Indeed, Amu had thought about having Ikuto around more than once. She lived alone which was a true fact. She wished for someone to always be by her side. But she wasn't expecting that _someone _to be an incredibly attractive star that looked more human than star.

Even now, she still didn't know what she wanted.

Amu stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork and lifted it to her mouth. "Just eat," she said. "I'm paying for it, even though I shouldn't be." Her palm was feeling unusually hot at that moment, although her whole body had been feeling warm that day. And as if the whole world was going against her, the fork slipped from her sweaty hand and on to the carpeted floor.

She stared down as if she didn't know what just happened.

Ikuto also looked down at her mistake.

Then sighed. "Honestly, Amu, what's with you today?"

She didn't bother to answer because she didn't know what was wrong exactly.

"I-I'll just ask our server when she comes back..." Amu picked up the dirty fork and placed it on a napkin in the middle of the table. Of course her stomach chose that moment to growl.

"You sure you can wait that long?" Ikuto asked, a smirk spreading his lips. Amu looked away and crossed her arms over her stomach as if that would stop the growling.

"I can wait," she mumbled stubbornly. Her stomach growled once again and she pressed her elbows into it.

Ikuto chuckled. He pierced some lettuce and held it up, but not for his own mouth.

"Amu," he said, trying to catch her attention.

She turned her head slightly to the side, trying to peek at him through the corners of her eyes. "What?"

Ikuto's hand traced Amu's jaw bone, then he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

She, of course, eyes wide and face burning, stared into his eyes with a surprised expression she really hadn't meant to have.

He held up the fork in front of her mouth and said, "Open up."

The simple sentence made Amu go crazy for some reason but she kept her cool. "I told you I can-"

In the midst of her talking, Ikuto slipped the fork inside her mouth and she bit down on it.

She hadn't meant to bite down on it, but that's how it turned out. She couldn't open her mouth at this point to shove the fork and salad out of her mouth because that would just be disgusting and un-lady-like.

"Chew it," Ikuto urged, tilting the fork up.

Instead of resisting and making a scene, Amu licked the salad off the fork, closed her eyes, and chewed the food in her mouth.

Ikuto watched her in complete and utter interest as she ate; however, she tried ignoring this fact.

The salad was delicious and tasted sweet in her mouth.

When Ikuto slipped the fork away she opened her eyes and swallowed.

His eyes met hers and she stared at him for what seemed like forever.

Until her eyes slid from his.

She felt like blushing, especially since he was doing this in a restaurant where everybody could see them.

He shouldn't be showing off something as odd as this.

"Don't," she whimpered, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

Ikuto smiled and placed his fork back in his bowl. Who knew losing a fork could get you here? He took hold of her wrist and removed her hand from her face. "Stay still," he said, picking up a napkin and folding it over his finger. Amu watched him doing this. With the cloth around his finger, Ikuto brought the napkin to the corner of her lips and dabbed the spot which had dressing on it lightly. Amu stared at Ikuto who focused on removing the food from her face. When his eyes met hers again, she couldn't find it in her to look away. Those eyes, in which she had only been acquainted with for a couple days drew her in so immensly she found herself lost. What was she doing exactly? Things were hard to understand when he stared at her with such an expression.

Ikuto pulled his finger away and his eyes were the first to leave hers that time.

"I think I need another fork," Amu muttered, trying to restrain the weird feeling slowly growing in the pit of her stomach.

Soon that one feeling made her feel sick and uneasy. She didn't feel like eating anymore, or even looking at her star. "I need to go to the bathroom."

Amu looked at Ikuto who was the only person that could let her out because she was stuck with the window seat.

Ikuto sighed but this time Amu didn't feel guilty about leaving him. He put his hands on the table and pushed himself up and over so she could also leave. Quickly, maybe a little too quickly, she shot from the booth and darted towards the bathroom. The complicated maze of chairs and tables made it harder to get around.

Amu turned a sharp corner and ran smack into a door which she hadn't expected to be there. She winced and felt stupid for running into something so close and obvious.

When she looked at the sign on the door though she was incredibly relieved that it read "Women".

She shook her head and pushed through the door and into the room.

It's temperature was low, as most bathrooms were cool for the open public. It gave a soft effect to the perfectly clean light brown and white tiles on the floor. The walls were a darker brown, and lights were planted in the cieling, shining dimly on the automatic sinks and half open stalls.

Everything in the bathroom seemed to sooth Amu and that weird feeling in the pit of her stomach diminished.

Slowly she walked over to the sinks and placed her hands on the shiny granite. Her eyes met her own in the spotless mirror. She looked a little pale today. Her hair was neatly brushed, but it also felt out of place on her own head. All the feelings she was feeling previously couldn't cope with this one.

A deep breath in, and a long exhale calmed her.

The slightly loud creek of the door to the bathroom opening made Amu jump a little. She turned to look at the guest.

It was Lulu.

It surprised Amu when she sighed and flipped her long hair back behind her shoulders. "Ugh, it's so hot in that kitchen."

Lulu seemed oblivious to the confused girl in front of her. When her eyes opened after her sigh, Lulu stared at Amu. "Oh, hello." She walked over to the sink and examined herself in the mirror as Amu had been doing previously. She straightened out the creases in her apron and fixed her badge. When Lulu tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, Amu saw it.

The star.

The earring stood out so blandly in her ear, but nobody knew what it was besides Amu. At least she guessed. The blonde color mixed in with her hair, and Amu figured that's what made her so confused last time. This girls star was yellow. But how is it she keeps running into girls with stars? Or, she guessed again, that these accessories were stars. They looked exactly like her necklace, only different colors.

"Sorry," Lulu said, catching Amu off guard. "Didn't see you there."

Amu didn't answer but instead stared at Lulu. "It really does get hot in that kitchen. We air condition the bathrooms a lot, so yeah. It would cost way too much to air condition the entire building." Lulu wiped some of the makeup off her face and blended it in with the rest.

She looked over back at Amu. "Sorry, am I confusing you?"

Technically, Amu was confused.

But she didn't want to tell her that.

She shook her head quickly in response. "N-no, it's fine."

Lulu smiled. "Am I bothering you?"

What? Now Amu was super confused. If anything, it was her that was bothering Lulu. If it's hot in the kitchen, it's only natural she would want some cool air. Odd place to get that from a bathroom, but it wasn't Amu's place to be judging how other people spend their time.

Amu waved her hands. "No not at all!"

"Good," Lulu replied, pulling out a hair tie.

She began gathering her hair to put it into a ponytail.

"So, are you enjoying yourself?"

Amu looked at Lulu. Then realized she asked a question. "Huh? Oh! Yes, I-I'm enjoying it here!" She tensed up and stuttered through her words.

Lulu laughed. "No need to look so tense. It was just a question." She leaned her back up against the wall.

"S-sorry," Amu stuttered, taking a step back.

She hadn't meant to seem tense or awkward, but she didn't want to upset the girl in front of her. As an apology, she said, "But, this place really is relaxing. I'm enjoying myself." Yes, the atmosphere had been relaxing, but her partner had not.

Lulu smiled softly then turned to face the mirror again. "I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself. Thank you," she said sincerely.

There was something in that sentence that made Amu feel like answering quickly, yet holding back. It sounded most melancholic, but kind at the same time. Amu stared at the long haired girl with wide eyes. "Thank you for what?" She had said _thank you. _

_Why? _

The server smiled genuinely, and her eyes met Amu's. "For enjoying yourself," was all she simply said.

Amu was still confused. "For...enjoying...?"

Their eyes disconnected and Lulu went back to staring into the mirror. Although it didn't seem there was anything in particular she was staring at. "I know it might sound a little weird, but thank you for enjoying yourself. I love that you're able to come here and have a good time, and I hope not only you appear relaxed but are relaxed. It's all I want for my customers to not have to worry about a single thing."

In a way, that made sense to Amu but also confused her still. Why did she want her customers to not have to worry about anything here? Well, that kind of made sense. If they were able to forget everything else then it would be easier for the customer to relax and enjoy themselves.

"Why is that?" Amu asked, suddenly growing less tense and more relaxed herself at her own question.

Lulu sighed then adjusted her bangs. "Doesn't it feel nice to not have a care in the world?" she asked.

Amu's eyes widened again, but she managed to answer by giving her a tight nod.

"Me too. It's relaxing to relax, as weird as that may sound. If you were able to go to a place and forget about everything, then you would want to visit that place a lot. Wouldn't it be cool if you got to go to that place with a friend, or someone closer, and talk and get the comfort of eating at the same time?" Lulu traced the faucet of the sink. "That's what I thought to myself at first. I know how hard it can be to relax and forget all your worries, without everything else getting in the way."

Amu kept staring at what Lulu was explaining, unable to say anything and dead quiet during her pauses.

"My mother, well, she has a busy schedule and never finds herself time to relax. Same with my father, at least that's how it used to be when I was younger. Everything they did always seemed to affect me, the prestigious daughter of the beautiful actress and cook. Soon I couldn't find time for myself to even think straight." Lulu laughed dryly, seemingly recalling her memories.

"I was a fool for taking everything how I did."

Amu wanted to urge her to keep talking, to finish her story that seemed somewhat painful. But she already had her entranced and Amu wanted to hear the rest of it. "What do you mean?"

Despite the pain she seemed to be feeling, she continued. "Instead of enjoying all the fame, I hated when cameras were constantly shoved and flashed in my face. I didn't like the way people were all over me, or my parents. It got harder and harder to cope with it, and soon I just snapped, and blamed my parents for everything."

Amu imagined a small girl yelling at her parents, even though she probably shouldn't have.

"Now I understand how terrible that was of me, but at the same time how it helped me now. Because of that, I was able to understand that everybody needs a little space, a little time to think by themselves. I guess back then it would have helped to have a little time to talk with my parents, but I didn't understand that yet. However, I do remember how I cherished the moments I had to myself, and with friends, or someone else I'm close to."

Suddenly thoughts of Amu and her parents flashed through her mind.

"So," Lulu said, making Amu forget about her parents quickly. "That's when the thought came to me: What if I could make a place where people could come and relax? Possibly, if even for a little while, forget about everything and just enjoy what they were doing _now. _And that thought didn't seem so bad."

_So...her wish...? _

Her voice suddenly became happy again. "And that's where this came from!" She gestured to the bathroom around her, but Amu knew she meant the restaurant.

"Of course, however, it's hard to open a place like this by yourself." Lulu smiled and her hand went up to gently touch her ear with the earring dangling from it. "But, with a little help it was possible."

Amu finally realized why she was telling her this. Her wish, her reasoning, and why she was grateful people actually came here and got to relax.

The thought and everything seemed extremely nice already.

But the fact the owner was able to make a place like this just so people could get away for a while, well, that was more than nice.

It was _extremely generous. _

Lulu wished for this, and again with a little help from someone, it happened.

She made it all work out.

That, was the fact that surprised Amu the most.

All of the time this beautiful girl could have been doing something else, she dedicated her time to others. To the public.

Honestly, before she explained all that Amu hadn't even thought about this place being so important. To her, and as she realized the rest of the general public, would have never guessed something so incredible.

Opening this up, having to work in hot kitchens.

It must have been hard, just having to come in the bathroom to cool down.

"That's..." Amu began, trying to find the correct thing to say to everything she was just explained. "Amazing."

Lulu looked at her with a confused look, then smiled. "Thanks. Sorry you had to listen to all of that," she apologized.

Amu shook her head. "No, it's okay. It was a really nice story. It's so nice of you to do something like that," she said, placing her own hands back on the granite of the sinks.

"Thanks," Lulu replied, laughing dryly.

When Amu thought she was done, Lulu surprised her by going on.

"So, now that all that's out of the way, who did you come here with to relax? He's _awfully _cute," she mused, giggling and putting a hand to her cheek.

Amu almost blushed at this, but somehow she could tell her face didn't turn colors in the mirror. However it did embarrass her. "U-um...that's just..." She couldn't even finish her sentence.

The green haired girl laughed. "He _must _be your boyfriend, no doubt about it."

The flustered pink haired girl didn't know how to respond to that.

Ikuto wasn't her boyfriend...he was her _star. _

For a moment she thought about telling Lulu she had a star, like herself. For some reason she didn't.

"No, it's not like that..." Amu waved her hands in defense as if she had done something wrong.

This only made the owner laugh. "If you say so," she giggled.

Amu couldn't even reply anymore.

"Well, it's about time I get back to bossing people around. I know they must miss me," Lulu joked, tapping her chin.

Amu couldn't see someone like her bossing people around, but at the same time she could.

"It's hard to imagine someone as nice as you doing such a thing," Amu said, the tone in her voice making it seem as if she were joking.

"Haha! Please honey, you don't know me." Lulu lifted her back from the wall and pulled out her pony tail. "I can be cruel when I wanna be, not saying I always am though. It does come with the job however, and nobody else is ganna do it."

She made her way around Amu and through the bathroom. "Guess that leaves me." She pointed to herself.

The pink haired girl smiled at the joking owner. "Only you," she replied.

Lulu opened the door to the bathroom, and was about to take her leave. But before that she turned to Amu. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here, relax, and cherish the precious moments with your boyfriend." She winked.

Amu didn't get a chance to even be flustered before the owner was out the door and into the restaurant.

She sighed, then smiled.

That was a nice talk.

But they had been talking quite a while, and Amu just left Ikuto by himself to finish eating.

She needed to get back.

Especially since she left in such a hurried manner.

Before returning to her _'date', _Amu examined herself in the mirror.

She was looking much less pale now, and her hair fit her again.

The reason why she up and left Ikuto like that was still a mystery. Although after having that long talk the feeling in her stomach was gone. She seemed to relax. After all, this is the place for getting away and relaxing. A place to enjoy your time with others.

Almost as quickly as she ran from her table, she flew out the door and into the restaurant.

Back to the complicated maze of chairs, the talking people. Back to the food she smelled, the food that made her nose tingle with excitement. Back to her booth, her window seat that gave a perfect view of the world around her she had been so excluded from since her loss. Back to her dirty fork, her used napkin, her un-eaten bowl of salad. Back to her water, in which would certainly sooth her dry throat and calm her once more. Back to the boy, the beautiful boy that sat there, waiting for her return with an empty glass of water in front of him. A boy that made feelings confuse her. A boy she constantly felt she was running from, but sprinting right back to. A boy that made her flustered in ways she hadn't before.

Back to her star, the person she was to relax with and enjoy every single moment she had with him because nobody else was there.

Back to everything.

She stood, almost panting in front of the blue haired boy. Her eyes bore into him. In reality they were only asking for him to move.

Ikuto got up out of his seat slowly and moved to the side. "What took you so long? I was waiting."

Amu scooted herself into her old window seat and made herself comfortable. Ikuto got back in after her.

"I was just freshening up," she lied, picking up her wet glass of water and gulping it's remaining contents. She had been right to predict it would sooth her.

Ikuto rolled his eyes. "Girls."

Amu made up her mind. Now that she was back, she would enjoy her time and not blow it off. She didn't have much with anybody. She would relax and savor every moment she spent here, and everywhere. A special place to go when you need to get away. She was so grateful she had that talk with Lulu. It was funny how before that she simply took this place for granite. She took the food lightly and even ran away from the person who was supposed to stay by her side. How could she have been so blind? No, she wouldn't do that. Not now, not again. Previously she would have done it without even thinking. She was smarter now.

She knew so much more than she did before, and she regretted that. Time is simple, but there's not much of it when life goes by as fast as it did in the eyes of someone so uneducated. Couldn't she have realized all this before she became alone? It would have helped, but now she was lucky enough to get a second chance. Someone had been so nice as to give her this chance to try and fix things this time. She wouldn't mess it up. She couldn't.

"Without us _girls, _you _guys _would be nowhere. Star or not," Amu said, rolling her eyes right back and setting down her empty glass of water.

Ikuto almost seemed surprised at Amu's sudden change of attitude. She did too.

But she would have been lying if she said she didn't like it.

Amu noticed a shining piece of silverware right next to her full bowl of salad. She picked it up.

"I asked someone to get that since you dropped yours," Ikuto said, looking at the fork himself.

_Generous. _

Amu smiled. "Thanks. It will be much more befitting of me to eat with my _own _fork, and not off of yours."

_Even though it wasn't that bad... _

As if she'd ever admit that to her star.

_**~*iWish*~** _

Amu and Ikuto walked down the frostbitten sidewalk, hand in hand.

"It's starting to get colder," Amu commented, looking up at the gray sky that lay beyond her reach. Her summer hadn't necessarily been a lot of fun, and school was just around the corner. She was somewhat looking forward to it. The air bit at her nose and she tried tucking it away behind her sleeve. A soft yet cold wind swept through the air and into her clothes. Summer's air had been far too hot, and winter's air only proved to be worse than hot. Freezing. It was that simple word that made her think of that day, and how cold her heart had become to the world around her. Like you close your windows to block out the cold chill of the winder wind, she closed her heart to everything that could potentially hurt her.

She was afraid to open it back up.

"Seems so," Ikuto replied, a little late with his words. The girl he held hands with couldn't help but smile.

Even though it was cold, Amu felt incredibly warm. Her face felt feverish almost.

"I can't control what the weather does," she giggled out, still trying to protect her already hot hand from the cold.

"I never said you could." Ikuto gripped Amu's hand tighter, and then raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

The pink haired girl removed her hand from her nose and pretended like it wasn't red as a tomato from the chilly wind. "Perfectly fine." Although when she said that she began feeling a little uneasy. "Why do you ask?"

"Your hand feels hot," he dead-panned.

If he was going to say it, he could have worded it differently at least.

Amu shook her head. "It's because your holding it. You must have a high body temperature. Are _you _okay?" she asked, trying to evade his question.

The blue haired star loosened his grip slightly. "I'm fine. But my body temperature has nothing to do with it."

"Of course it does," Amu argued, pulling her hand from his to feel it for herself. "It feels fine. I should be glad it's not _freezing_."

"I think you're just trying to avoid the subject of whether you're okay or not."

She couldn't argue that, but she couldn't say anything to it either. She simply grunted and puffed out her cheeks. Her hand felt hot in her other like Ikuto had said. Which was odd because nothing had happened. The weather certainly couldn't have done anything since it wasn't one hundred degrees anymore. There was no real explanation for the warmth of her hand.

"I'm fine," she mumbled through flared cheeks.

Ikuto didn't really say anything but he did look at her quite a while until she thought he wouldn't stop. His eyes bore into her like daggers and she swore she felt a twinge of pain through them. "Are you going to stare at me like that all day or are you going to look ahead of you so you don't trip over your own two feet?" she asked.

Ikuto's eyes immediately left the girls body.

"The day is halfway through, and I find it impossible to stare at a person for twenty-four hours straight." Ikuto almost looked disappointed for a reason unknown. "I don't think anybody would want to either."

Amu could think of several girls that would have liked to stare at Ikuto for twenty-four hours straight.

Thinking about it was kind of weird.

But in a way, funny.

She couldn't help but let a giggle escape her lips.

"What's so funny?" Ikuto asked, raising those blue tipped eyebrows of his.

"You're so funny," Amu admitted.

"How?"

"You just are."

"You're...odd."

"Yeah."

Amu wasn't only acting odd, but she was feeling quite odd herself. Maybe it was the weather? She couldn't tell. But she started feeling light-headed. She even just recently ate, but her stomach was starting to feel queasy.

Her hand found her stomach and she rubbed it lightly. She wasn't intending for Ikuto to see her, but he did anyway with those super sharp eyes of his.

"Seriously, are you okay?"

Amu got irritated but suppressed it. Why was she feeling this way? It was just a question. "I'm fine. I already told you that."

"You're rubbing your stomach." Ikuto cocked his head at her hand moving across her upper body.

"I'm _fine. _It was...just a good meal is all," she lied, smiling sweetly when she finished lying through her teeth.

She wobbled to the side.

"You're not okay," Ikuto dead-panned, grabbing her and setting her straight.

She really wasn't starting to feel 'okay' anymore but there was no explanation for it. Sure, her stomach felt a bit queasy but she was also light-headed and her palms were way too sweaty for a normal palm temperature. She even just lost her balance and practically fell to the side with only the help of her star to set her straight. And even after realizing all of this she was going to continue to lie to him and say she was okay.

"I am okay," she argued to his protests of her not being okay.

"I don't think so," he replied, drawing out the _I _for whatever dramatic affect he was trying to give off.

Amu rolled her eyes in an annoyed manner. "Get off the subject, I'm fine Ikuto."

"_No, _you're not," he complained, reaching for her again.

Amu's brows furrowed. "Ikuto, I'm fi-!"

Her eyes suddenly went so blurry she couldn't see Ikuto's hand clearly. That weird feeling in the pit of her stomach made her feel so sick, she actually thought she would be. Her palms grew hotter, and her face started getting warm. The balance she tried keeping up made her legs feel so noodle thin. They wobbled and shook and if Ikuto wasn't right there, she would have fallen face first into the concrete.

"Hey, Am-"

She closed her eyes, and passed out.

* * *

**Sierra: Hey! It wasn't even a month yet. Er, hasn't been a month yet. Almost, but not quite. At least I updated!**

**I would have done it earlier but then school started and I am doing way too many things for my own good so I was too busy to even think about writing. But somehow I managed like, at least a thousand words a week. Then I just typed the last bit and here we are! I hope you liked it! Chapter 5-**

**You know what? I should stop promising early updates because I never keep my promises when it comes to updating. Oh well. I love you people who still bother to read it though! You make me want to write more! **

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